The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to digital software license procurement.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Software vendors commonly require IHS manufacturers to purchase individual license keys and pay a royalty for the ability to install or use their software. Some software vendors require IHS manufacturers to purchase an expensive paper sticker, for which the IHS manufacturer pays a license fee. Software vendors also may require the IHS manufacturer to install special bits in the IHS basic input/output system (BIOS) to match the operating system (OS) media, with the license key stuck on the media, and provide generic activation bits on the hard drive. Such licensing systems are cumbersome and expensive to operate.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved digital software license procurement absent the disadvantages discussed above.